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| Above, the Norwegian Sky at Great Stirrup Cay. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
If I ever go on another cruise in the future, I am leaving my laptop computer at home.
Last summer, I brought it along for the Bahamas cruise, but I ended up not even taking it out of the suitcase. Why? Internet access aboard the cruise ship was too expensive. I limited my usage to the free access time on my phone or the public WiFi at different ports such as Freeport and Nassau. When not in use, I always put my phone on Airplane Mode to keep from being charged any money.
Forbes has posted an article on the truth about cruise ship Internet and how to get it cheaper.
They begin with:
Until recently, cruise ship internet had a reputation for being slow, patchy, and overpriced. Modern systems have improved dramatically, but the price tag has not shifted much. Mainstream cruise lines still treat connectivity as a premium add-on.
Even with Starlink and other low-orbit networks, the infrastructure costs are significant. The hardware is expensive and bandwidth must be shared among thousands of passengers and crew members. When demand peaks, such as during sea days, speeds can slow.
Most lines charge either by the day or for the duration of the cruise, with higher-tier packages including access to streaming services such as YouTube. The costs quickly add up, especially on longer sailings and on lines that charge by device.
To read more, go here.
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